Kasich: Common Core not federally driven

Ohio Gov. John Kasich pushes South Dakota lawmakers to support a balanced federal budget amendment during a meeting last week. On Sunday he supported Common Core on Fox News.(Photo: AP Photo/James Nord)

Gov. John Kasich on Sunday defended Common Core with some of his most direct language to date, saying the only people opposed to the educational standards are "running for something."

"The Common Core was written by state education superintendents and local principals," Kasich said on "Fox News Sunday." "It is local school boards driving better education, higher standards, created by local school boards. I've asked the Republican governors that have complained about this to tell me where I'm wrong. And guess what? Silence."

The Common Core standards have been heavily debated by the Ohio Legislature, with two efforts to repeal them failing to receive a full vote.

Last year, a bill to repeal the standards was passed out of a House committee but never received a full vote. The author of that bill has vowed to revive it this year, and the new House education committee chairman said he is open to discussing it.

Several groups have argued that the standards take away local control and were essentially mandated by President Barack Obama.

But Kasich, who is considered to be a potential 2016 presidential candidate, told Fox host Chris Wallace that the president does not set curriculum in Ohio schools. He said part of the problem is politicians are running to get votes when it is more important to try to solve problems.

"And we have a problem with the education standards and our children's ability to compete in the world," he said. "We're not going to turn this over to Washington or even to Columbus, our state capital. It's local schools with local school boards and high standards. I don't know how anybody can disagree with that unless you're running for something."

Also during the interview, Kasich was asked about running for president, to which he said, "I have not taken any options on the table. There's plenty of time for me to decide. And you know what? Ohio is a microcosm of America."